


Renaissance Man

by Mysticfarmer



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fix-It, Found Family, Friendship, Graphic depiction of a corpse, I have other things I should be doing, I really have no idea why I wrote this, Past Character Death, Resurrection, be kind to me this is my first fic in a long time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:00:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26196022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysticfarmer/pseuds/Mysticfarmer
Summary: It’s time to go back for an old friend.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	Renaissance Man

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Fan Fiction I’ve posted since I was 14, so please be gentle. I just love Molly and couldn’t get this idea out of my head since they mentioned him in episode 107.

They arrive at the side of the road near sunset. Only a old rickety branch stuck in the ground lets them know that they’ve reached their destination. The colourful coat that once hung there like a triumphant beacon of a life well lived is long gone now. Whether swept away by the wind or taken by passerby’s none of them know. No one mentions it.

They stop their cart in the middle of the road and everyone turns to look at the lone branch. Caduceus sits quietly in the cart, hands folded in his lap. This isn’t his journey. He wants answers to his vision just as much as everyone there, but he won’t be digging up a body today. That’s not a job for him. He knows it wouldn’t be his place.

It’s Beau who stands up first, hesitating only a moment longer from her perch on the wagon, before she jumps down and begins making her way towards the grave with purpose. Veth stands up next, following her friend, though her steps are a little more stilted.

Beauregard falls to her knees on the ground, in the spot where Yasha once did the same, but instead of mourning, she digs her strong fingers into the turf that’s grown there since the winter. The ground gives way and the soil is damp beneath the grass. It must have recently rained. She pulls the ground up where her hands clench around it. Veth sits beside her and watches. A figure moves up behind them, standing tensely at their backs. But Beau carries on, scrabbling desperately at the ground, fingernails already caked in mud.

Fjord joins the trio and kneels on the ground opposite. He looks up at Beau, sad look in his eye, before he reaches forward and begins pulling the ground up with his own hands.

A sob sounds from back at the wagon, soft and feminine. It’s a broken noise, but it only spurns them on harder. Calebjoins them, resting his hand on Veth’s shoulder as he kneels down and begins digging with a sigh. This time he doesn’t use magic. He begins to dig with his bare hands.

Veth looks up at Yasha, still standing behind her and Beau, staring down at the grave with tears in her eyes. Veth starts digging too, with Yasha’s broken heart in mind.

The hours pass, but the grave is deep.

It’s dark by the time they’re standing in the wide hole they’ve made. The moons are high in the sky, Catha full and bright, illuminating the group as they dig. Jester sit’s cross legged on the ground now, watching. Her eyes are bloodshot and she has no intention of stepping into the grave with her friends, but she watches, clutching a deck of half drawn tarot cards to her chest.

Eventually Caleb casts light for them to see by, when the hole gets deep enough.

Caduces starts a fire nearby and begins making tea silently. No one has spoken since they arrived, the only sound to be heard other than the scraping of their makeshift shovels and tired grunts, are Jester’s quiet sniffles.

It’s well past midnight when they uncover something other than dirt. It’s Fjord who hits it, gasping and dropping the bowl he’s been using to dig.

They all stop moving suddenly, and Jester leans forward to look in the grave. A globule of light moves into the hole, illuminating what an only be a horn. They all look up and each other silently, unsure how to proceed.

It’s Yasha who moves first, kneeling down carefully by Fjord’s feet, smoothing the mud away from his horns, and slowly, under the careful watch of her friend’s, revealing the top of a head, face covered by a decaying tapestry.

It’s that which jolts them back into action. They all abandon their cookware and knives, and begin digging with their hands once more. Jester stands up and begins pacing anxiously.

When the body is uncovered, Yasha crouches down, sliding her hands carefully under the body and scooping it up in her arms, she stands and lifts the limp, cloth wrapped corpse up towards Jester.

Jester takes a deep breath and her face hardens in determination, brow furrowed as she kneels down once more and takes the body offered to her in her arms.

The others climb out of the grave one by one, Fjord offering his hand down to help Veth up. They come to surround Jester, where she has laid the lifeless body of their friend on the grass.

“What now?” Veth asks in a whisper. Jester looks up at her with tearful eyes. Then she reaches into her haversack, and pulls out a large, white diamond.

With a shaky breath she nods to Yasha, who slowly pulls back the tapestry.

It’s Beau this time who releases a terrible sob, turning away from the sight.

The body is partially decayed, face and wounded chest sunken. Insects that had made home inside the tapestry wriggle around madly when they are exposed to the night air. The tattoos that once decorated a muscular figure, now appear wrinkled and shrunken, too loose in some places and stretched too thin in others.

It’s the empty eye sockets though that are most unsettling. Jester whimpers to her self as she looks into them.

“Oh Molly,” she says, forcing back tears. Her shaking hands place the diamond on his chest, cupping it in her palms it as she breaks into full, loud sobs. Fjord sniffles somewhere nearby, but Jester ignores it, letting her heartbreak wash over her.

Just when she begins to think that maybe she doesn’t have it in her to cast the spell, she feels her hands encompassed in warmth.

Looking up though her tears, she makes eye contact with the Traveller. He holds her hands in his, and offers a small smile. Her chest fills with a familiar warmth as she begins casting.

The Mighty Nein kneel around the blue teifling as she starts to whisper arcane words. Caleb and Beau put hands on Jester’s shoulder for support, though she doesn’t notice, too caught up in casting.

So slowly, that it goes unnoticed at first, the diamond peaking through Jester’s hand’s starts to glow. Heat builds under her hands and overflows, out of the diamond and into the body below.

The sunken face begins to fill out first. Like time moving in reverse, the decay melts away, replaced by healthy lavender skin, and brightly coloured tattoos. His eye lids slide shut and eyes form again beneath them. And then wound made by Lorenzo’s blade, closes up on his chest, knitting itself back together, leaving a long scar beneath a torn and bloodstained shirt. His muscles, long atrophied, push up under his skin. It’s not long before he begins to resemble their friend once more.

Jester finishes chanting and opens her eyes, one at a time, peaking out shyly to see her handiwork.

There, under her empty hands, covered in dirt and dried blood, lays the unmoving body of Mollymauk Tealeaf.

Everyone holds their breath, watching tensely for movement.

It doesn't come.

Jester pulls her hands back to her body anxiously.

“What’s wrong?” Veth demands, “Did you do the spell properly? Why isn’t he waking up?!”

Jesters eyes fill with tears once more and she starts to shake her head in confusion.

“I don’t know! I did everything I was supposed-“ She’s cut off by a sharp, desperate gasp for air.

Mollymauk’s whole body jolts, arching against the ground and his eyes fly open. He reaches his hands upwards, grabbing for something invisible as he fights to fill his lungs with the cool night air.

Yasha darts forward and takes his head in her hands. She starts whispering something to him softly, stroking his dirty hair as he struggles against her. She reaches up and takes one of his grabbing hands, lets him grip her fingers tightly as he adjusts to reality again.

Long minutes pass as Yasha soothes her purple friend`, and the rest of the mighty Nein look on with hearts pounding in their chests. Eventually Molly’s breathing steadies and his eyes slide shut again, grip loosening slightly on Yasha’s hand. He breathes deeply now, tasting the air that streams into his lung with each breath.

When his eyes open again they open with a frantic purpose. He locks his sight on Yasha instantly.

“Yasha,” He says, voice gravelly but warm with love, “You’re safe.”

His words sound like a prayer and his eyes slide shut again, but this time they don’t stay that way.

“Are the others okay?” He asks, pulling her hand closer to him.

“Yes,” she says, voice quiet as ever, “We’re all safe. The others are right here.”

His vibrant red eyes dart sideways, head turning to follow at a slower pace. He sees Jester staring at him with her wide, red rimmed eyes and smiles, showing his teeth for the first time in many months. Jester lets out a relieved cry and throws herself down on his chest, clutching at his tattered shirt as she cries.

Molly’s brow furrows. He searches through his memory, trying to remember something past the fight with Lorenzo and the Iron Shepards.

“We won then?” He says, trying to push away thoughts of a blade entering his chest.

Beau makes a terrible noise at that, pushing up onto her feet and moving away from the group.

“Nein.” Caleb says sadly, drawing Molly’s attention in his direction, “We lost... You died, my friend.”

Molly looks back down at Jester crying on his chest, he brings his free hand, the one not gripping Yasha’s, and rests it gently on her shaking back. His eye’s go wide as he processes what Caleb’s told him.

“Then how are you all free?” He asks, voice still rough and ruined by his months in the ground. Yasha helps him sit up and offers him her water skin as Caleb explains.

“We made some new friends. They helped us kill Lorenzo and free everyone.”

Molly finishes drinking and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“And then you came back for me.” He says, nodding to himself.

At the lack of confirmation Caleb gives he looks up at the wizard and furrows his brow.

“You were gone too long,” Yasha explains, voice breaking, “We didn’t know how to bring you back until now.”

“How long?” Molly demands.

“A little more than six months,” Caleb says. Molly turns to face him again briefly. He looks down at himself, noticing his filthy state and ragged clothing for the first time.

“Oh,” He says, voice quiet and thoughtful. He looks over to Jester again, who has sat up now, and is sniffling quietly, “Thank you for bringing me back.”

Jester beams through her tears.

Molly’s brow furrows as he catches sight of Veth for the first time.

“And who might you be?” He asks, wary of a new face, but plastering on a charming smile regardless.

The group is silent for a minute, shocked. And then Caleb starts laughing.

He laughs hard and loud, doubling over and wiping tears from his eyes. Jester and Veth join in after a minute, while Fjord and Yasha grin at their friends.

Molly looks terribly confused, so when Veth is able to pull herself together she smiles at him.

“It’s me,” She says, cheeks rosy, streaked with dried tears, “Nott.”

Molly’s eyebrows raise.

“No,” He denies quietly, leaning forward to look at her more closely.

“I’m a halfling now,” Veth says, “It’s a long story.”

“A good one!” Jester exclaims, sadness seemingly long forgotten, “You’re gonna love hearing it Molly! There was an evil hag, and a curse, and true love! Just like a fairytale!”

Molly smiles, completely bemused, “Sounds exciting.”

“Oh, it was.” Jester assures.

“We have lots to tell you, friend.” Caleb says, smiling at Molly.

Beau moves back to the group and sits down heavily next to Molly, punching him hard on the shoulder.

“OW!” He exclaims, looking over at her angrily. She pulls him into a tight hug before he can say or do anything else.

“Don’t fucking die again.” She says gruffly.

More bemused than ever he hugs her back. Beau pulls away and looks over Caleb's shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

“Are you wearing jewelry?!” Molly asks, reaching up and touching the circlet wrapped around Beaus head.

She shoves his hand away and glares at him.

“I wasn’t picking on you,” he says, holding up his hands, “It looks good.”

“Thanks,” she whispers, looking away again.

“I’ve missed a lot,” Molly says, looking over all his friends, taking in their new clothes and changed appearances.

“We’ll need to fill you in rather quickly too,” says Fjord, “we’ve got an urgent situation to deal with as soon as you’re ready to travel.”

“What the fuck happened to your voice?!”


End file.
